Fragile Heat, Dark Deception

Chapter 3

The city glowed against the night, but the mansion outshone it all, a monument of wealth rising above the darkness. Inside, the grand ballroom glittered like a dream. Chandeliers poured golden light across polished marble, while music and laughter mingled with the clinking of crystal glasses. It was a world built on excess, a world that belongs only to elites.

Alessandro, Lucca, and Marco stood together near the heart of the room. In a sea of jewels and silk, they were the ones who commanded attention, drawing curious glances and hushed whispers from every direction.

They spoke quietly, their words blending into the noise, but their eyes never rested. They studied the crowd with a predator’s patience, measuring smiles, weighing secrets, dissecting the fragile games of influence playing out around them.

The ballroom shimmered with beauty: women in flowing gowns, men in tailored suits, each one polished to perfection. Yet beneath the sparkle, everything felt hollow. These were the city’s chosen, drunk on their own importance.

"Ah, there are our girls," Marco smirked as he saw three vixen-like girls walking toward them. Alessandro and Lucca turned around, checking out their fine finances. The three cousins, Alessandro, Lucca, and Marco, were the sons of the three brothers belonging to the Villarreal family. The Villarreal family was known for their industries and reign in the city.

"Hey baby," Regina exclaimed enthusiastically, almost sprinting toward her fiancé. Her exuberant greeting elicited eye rolls from the others, who were quite accustomed to her dramatic nature. Regina, a pampered princess, was a member of the esteemed Francis family. The city's most prominent law firm was owned by none other than the Francis family. The engagement between Marco and Regina was orchestrated to forge a beneficial alliance between the two families. For years, the Francis family had diligently shielded the Villarreal family's misdeeds, effectively preserving their reputation and upholding their untarnished image.

Similar pacts were in place for the other two cousins, Alessandro and Lucca. Alessandro was engaged to Alison Hendrix, cementing the alliance between the Villarreal and Hendrix families. The Hendrix family, notorious for money laundering, held a central position in the nation's illicit financial transactions. Their confidential operations had often been instrumental in safeguarding the Villarreal family's undisclosed funds from detection. Conversely, Lucca was affianced to Jade Hart. The Harts were renowned for their prevalent role in the city's weapons trade, possessing an enormous network for armament distribution.

"You look ravishing," Marco whispered into Regina's ear, prompting her to giggle like a teenager. Meanwhile, Alison and Jade moved toward their respective fiancés.

Though the Villarreal cousins were committed to affluent women, their filthy antics never seemed to fade. The world remained blissfully ignorant of the fact that the men, seemingly devoted to their respective fiancées, harbored a sinister secret.

A secret of sharing women together. The secret of retaining bliss in the forbidden pleasure of sharing one flesh. The thrill of doing something forbidden and taboo was craved by the Villarreal cousins. Even if someone articulated to them that they were misogynistic, they would not deny it because the Villarreal cousins knew how they found pleasure in humiliating those little sluts while their p*****s begged for more.

"Wow, you two are matching," Jade remarked, a playful glint in her eyes as she observed Marco and Regina donning coordinated getups.

Regina chimed in, her tone infused with a mixture of excitement and possessiveness. "Absolutely! I love matching with my man. It's a message that he's mine and mine alone."

"Aw, Princess, I am only yours," Marco playfully cooed, his feigned endearment effectively appealing to Regina's spoiled nature.

Alessandro and Lucca exchanged a knowing look, sharing an amused smirk at their cousin's artful display.

They wondered what the spoiled princess Regina's reaction would be upon knowing how her fiancés f**k the brains out of the different girls.

"I wish Lucca could do that with me too," Jade mused aloud, casting a hopeful glance at her fiancé. Lucca's response was nonchalant, a casual shrug accompanying his sip from the wine glass.

Regina chimed in, a touch of exasperation in her tone, "Come on, Lucca. Can't you make a romantic gesture like that for your fiancée?"

"Sure," Lucca replied with a hint of disinterest. Though he gave his assent, the lackluster tone in his voice made it evident to all that such a romantic gesture from him was highly unlikely. Lucca Villarreal was known for his cold demeanor, and displaying affection was the last thing anyone would expect from him.

"What about you, Alison?" Regina inquired, redirecting her attention to the couple that emitted an entirely different aura. There was always something different about their presence, an air of something sinister.

"Do I really need to engage in these kinds of gestures?" Alison snorted. Her words were tinged with a hint of amusement. "You all know what fate awaits anyone who dares to come close to my fiancé," she added with a confident smirk, her gaze landing on the perpetually amused Alessandro. He was her enigmatic and alluring fiancé, after all.

One trait that Alessandro enjoyed about his fiancée was that she was equally sadistic as him. She relished exploiting others' weaknesses just as much as he did.

"Aw, you’re as possessive of him as Vanisha once was of her brother."

The name struck Alessandro like a blade. His face hardened instantly, shadows tightening around his expression. Vanisha. A name he had tried to bury, but one that clung to him like a ghost that refused to rest.

For the Villarreal cousins, she had been more than blood. Vanisha had been light itself, gentle, radiant, the thread that tied them together. In her presence, their world had felt whole. And then she was gone.

Her death had carved something cruel into them, leaving scars no time could mend. The memory of her lingered not as warmth, but as torment. A wound that festered. A loss that would never stop bleeding.

"Regina," Jade cautioned in a hushed tone, but Regina, accustomed to having her say, continued speaking. "Remember how fiercely she protected Alessandro and her cousins? She had a way of driving away any girl who dared approach them. Honestly, those girls probably deserved it, given that they were just gold diggers anyway."

"Can you shut up?" Lucca's voice carried anger. He swore he wanted to slit her throat open. Didn't she know what she was doing? The memories of his sister's suffering were a raw and painful reminder of the darkness that existed even among the elite.

Alessandro's patience wore thin, and he walked away. Familiar with Alessandro's temperament, no one dared to stop him because an angry Alessandro was too lethal to handle, one best left alone.

"Thank you, Regina. What a wonderful contribution," Alison retorted with a sarcastic edge, her tone laced with mockery. With those words, she turned and followed in Alessandro's footsteps, also making her exit.

"I... I didn't know. It just came to mind," Regina stammered in an attempt to defend herself, but her words faltered when a chilling voice cut through, "Shut the f**k up, Regina. Another word from your mouth, and you'll lose that tongue of yours that can't seem to stop." Marco's tone was dark. A stark contrast to his usual composed demeanor. His jaw tightened, his hands clenched into fists by his sides, momentarily shedding his gentlemanly façade.

Regina's throat tightened as Marco's words hit her. Her hands trembled at the mere sight of his unmasked anger. She found herself facing his true nature, one that sent shivers down her spine. "I'm sorry," she stammered, her voice shaky. In an instant, Marco's deceptive mask returned. "It's okay, princess. Let's dance," he said with a sly grin as if the menacing threat had never left his lips just minutes ago. Regina's mind swirled with confusion for a brief moment, questioning if Marco was truly the right person for her. Yet, consumed by her infatuation with this manipulative man, she dismissed those thoughts and beamed. "I would love to dance," she replied, swept away by the allure of the cunning man.